Scarlyn: Chronicles of a Nightsister Exile
by Crimsonight
Summary: Scarlyn Sturm grew up as a skilled warrior and proud Nightsister in Mother Talzin's coven on Dathomir. When she was sixteen years old though, she was exiled for killing a fellow Nightsister. Her cause was just, but the coven didn't see it that way. After her exile, she started her life anew as a bounty hunter. These chronicles tell her story. Each chapter is an individual story.
1. Aftermath

_**Aftermath**_

It woke her in the middle of the night. A small pit in her stomach began to ache and then it grew… and grew. After only minutes, Scarlyn was on her hands and knees inside her ship gasping for air. Something terrible had happened. It was more than a murder of a loved one or a simple disturbance in the Force; it was a Massacre.

As the Nightsisters of Dathomir fell one by one at the hands of the Separatists, Scarlyn, a Nightsister Exile, was beginning to understand the depth of her pain. General Grievous and his droid army were slaughtering the Nightsisters. While the Nightsisters were superior in skill, they were vastly outnumbered. Asajj Ventress and the others fought valiantly, but the battle only lasted for barely. Scattered and broken, the Nightsisters were defeated, but not lost. Scarlyn had a sense of what had happened, but she also felt hope. Despite her exile, she went to the cockpit and changed her heading. After five years, Scarlyn was finally returning to Dathomir.

* * *

The sun was rising over the Nightsister temple as Scarlyn made her approach. The sky was changing from a dark crimson to a more pinkish shade of red. Trees which looked more like giant roots twisting and contorting above the ground left little to know chance of landing safely near the temple. She would have to approach on foot. Scarlyn's ship was a small freighter with a few modifications to suit a bounty hunter's lifestyle. Normally, the Nightsisters would be watching its approach and preparing to subdue anyone who exits it, but no one was left able.

Even with the extended time away from Dathomir, Scarlyn remembered exactly how to find her old home amidst the dense vegetation. Her path was one of horror. At first she came across broken and disabled battle droids, but then more and more of her fallen sisters littered the ground. "They even called upon the Army of the Dead." Scarlyn whispered as she observed Nightsister bodies that had been dead far longer than several hours. As she neared the temple, Scarlyn began to sense something new. The silence was deafening on Dathomir, but Scarlyn was sensing life amidst all of the death. She started running.

The feeling was becoming stronger and more familiar. At the entrance to the Nightsister temple, Scarlyn fell to her knees upon a sight she had never imagined. Her mother, Kiva, was lying unconscious near the footsteps of the temple. On closer look, she could see her mother was pinned down by a fallen stone pillar that lied across her legs above the knees. Scarlyn gently tried to wake her mother. Perhaps it was her presence or a trace of the Nightsister magic still within her, Scarlyn managed to revive Kiva. Pale blue eyes slowly opened with several blinks to meet Kiva's silver eyes. "Scarlyn? I… I had never thought I would see the day…" Kiva could only speak barely above a whisper.

"I'm here, mother. I'm back." Scarlyn forced a comforting smile as she held her mother up for a moment to let Kiva's head and shoulders rest on Scarlyn's lap. "I couldn't stay away. Even on the other side of the galaxy I could sense what happened here. I feared the worst." Scarlyn started softly running her fingers through Kiva's short black hair.

"The droids came shortly after Asajj's return. Grand Mother Daka is dead. Everyone is dead. I believe Mother Talzin survived, but I'm not certain." Kiva struggled to speak. Her body began trembling slightly as she struggled to breathe.

"You're not dead, mother." Scarlyn said reassuringly.

"I may as well be. The droid leader walked right by me. He saw me trapped under this pillar and he didn't bother to even flinch in my direction. He knew I was dead anyways." Kiva coughed up a little bit of blood. Her brow was furled and her eyes were squinting. She was holding back terrible pain.

"You're a healer. Couldn't you repair yourself?" Scarlyn looked at the pillar that was keeping Kiva pinned down. It was solid stone and must have weighed a few thousand pounds.

"I can remedy ailments and close wounds, but I cannot repair something this severe." Kiva closed her eyes. She was fighting so hard to look strong for her daughter, but her body was shutting down.

"There must be something I can do…" Scarlyn was desperate to save her mother.

"There is something." Kiva said with a reluctant tone. Slowly, she reached down under her waist and pulled a Nightsister dagger out from its sheath.

"No, mother! I can't!" Scarlyn tried to push the dagger away, but Kiva was adamant.

"Scarlyn, my beautiful daughter. I lied here facing a very painful and slow death surrounded by my fallen sisters and destroyed home. My final hours were filled with grief and despair, but not anymore. My greatest wish has come true." Kiva managed to get a bit of her voice to crack through the whispers, but her coughing up blood was getting worse the more she spoke. She managed to open her eyes and kept them fixed on Scarlyn as she spoke. "I have seen you; one last time. That's all I ever wanted. Now, you can spare me the slow and painful death that I have lied here waiting for. You can give me the merciful death that the droid commander denied me."

"Mother, please… Don't ask this of me." Scarlyn had spent years hiding every sign of weakness, but every façade of strength that she had was broken and useless in keeping the tears from rolling down her face like rain. Her eyes were so full of tears she had to keep wiping them so that she could see clearly.

"I cannot do it myself. I need you, daughter. Let my last sight and my last thoughts be of you, my lovely daughter, and not the world that runs red with the blood of my sisters." Kiva couldn't fight her coughs any longer. Blood was filling her lungs. She had maybe an hour left to live.

Scarlyn was trembling from the emotional pain of the moment. Her tears were falling onto her mother's face and mixing with the blood that dripped from Kiva's pale grey lips. With a shaking hand, Scarlyn took Kiva's dagger and held it up to the sky. Scarlyn placed both of her hands on the handle to steady her grip. She whispered. "I love you, mother." And with that last word, she brought the dagger down into Kiva's heart. Kiva's last breath rushed out of her without any word, but she managed to keep her eyes open. Her very last sight was the sight of her daughter's raven hair waving gently in the breeze of the Dathomir jungle.

* * *

Scarlyn wasn't sure how long she remained there. For the longest time, she couldn't open her eyes or move. Her deceased mother's head and shoulders continued to rest on Scarlyn's knees as she cried for hours. After mid day, she finally rested Kiva on the ground and stood up. She was going to give her mother more than a proper burial. It was a ritual reserved for Mothers of the clan, but Scarlyn didn't care. Kiva was her Mother. With tears in her eyes, Scarlyn took the dagger and removed what was left of Kiva from under the large stone pillar that had trapped her.

With as much dignity and honor as she could give, Scarlyn picked up and carried her mother's body into the destroyed Nightsister temple. Everything was destroyed, but the Rivers of Mist remained; flowing through the catacombs of the temple. Scarlyn lied Kiva's body down into the river. The glowing green misty river carried Kiva's body away slowly. Scarlyn began to recite some ancient words of honor and sacrifice as wisps of bright green fog and mist began to swirl around her mother's body. As Scarlyn finished the incantation, Kiva's body turned into the mysterious green mist. Kiva was one with the magic and power of the Nightsisters. She would live on forever. Her gentle and forgiving nature would touch the hearts of all Nightsisters there were ever to be in the galaxy.

Scarlyn soon found herself at peace. She could feel her mother's presence all around her. Her mother was there, but there would be no words of comfort, no warm and welcoming embrace, and no shoulder to cry on. Scarlyn was thankful that Kiva had finally found peace, but as she walked back to her ship and passed the bodies of all of the Nightsisters who had been massacred the previous night she couldn't help but feel the anger build inside her. By the time she got to her ship she was nearly possessed with thoughts of vengeance. She didn't desire the destruction of the Separatists. They didn't leave her mother to die a slow and painful death. It was General Grievous who had been so merciless and destroyed all of the Nightsisters over the grievances Count Dooku held with only two. It was General Grievous who brought an entire legion of droids to fight a handful of Nightsisters. It was General Grievous whom Scarlyn would take her vengeance from.

Sitting in the small bedroom of her ship, Scarlyn pulled out her mother's dagger and pressed its tip into her right palm. She cut out a diamond shape in her hand. She then held out her hand with her palm facing upward. Blood quickly filled the diamond shape she had cut as she spoke an incantation that all Nightsister warriors learned as children. It was the Oath of Vengeance. The blood in her palm evaporated upward into green/yellow mist and then her palm boiled as Scarlyn finished the ancient words. The wound was burnt over and already healed into a scar. The green/yellow mist swirled above her hand for a moment. Scarlyn leaned forward and breathed in the mist. From that moment onward, Scarlyn would not know peace until General Grievous was dead and she vowed that he would die by her hands.


	2. Scarlyssa: Rendezvous in Autumn

_**Scarlyssa: Rendezvous in Autumn**_

Hot Shots, an average, mid-level cantina on Nar Shadaa was the perfect place for those who wanted to blend in to the proverbial woodwork. It was too trashy for 'important people' to show up but off duty cops frequented it for the drinks which kept a lot of scum at bay. The cantina had a typical setup of enclosed booths around the walls, a wraparound bar in the center, lounge seats scattered around the floor, and a couple runways with poles at the ends leading out from the back wall's stage. Not looking for work or to be disturbed, Scarlyn found it an ideal place to drink the night away. A flaming 'hot shot' would give her the liquid courage necessary to forget her troubles and start the night off right. Then it would all be good times.

Scarlyn sat at the bar near the end of one of the runways where a yellow Twi'lek girl was dancing with the pole. It would have been relaxing and enjoyable for Scarlyn to simply drink and watch the dancer's rhythmic movements against the pole. However, she wasn't alone in the cantina. It was crowded and too many people had already had too much to drink. About ten feet away from her on a cushioned lounge couch, a Weequay man started heckling Scarlyn. "Hey! Yer not from 'round here, are ye? Yeah… yeah, I ain't seen you before." Scarlyn took another sip of her drink and then looked straight forward, away from the man to her left. She looked at herself in the reflective surface of the dancer's pole in front of her to make sure that the large 'get lost' sign was still smacked all over her face. "I heard stories about white gals in red getups. Yer one of them witches, ain't ye? I ain't never had me a witch before."

Without looking away from her drink, Scarlyn spoke barely loud enough for the drunkard to hear. "Seeing how you're still breathing, I imagine you haven't."

"Wha? Ye say somethin'? Why don't ye come on over here an let me put them pale lips o yers to better use." He slapped his leg motioning for her to have a seat.

Scarlyn finally turned, pivoting on her stool to see him. He was a heavier man with roughed up clothes and the posture of someone who made a career out of drinking. His drunk grin lacked any sense of inhibition as his eyes wondered all over her body. "Shake your head, sleemo. Your eyes are stuck," she scoffed at him.

He wasn't deterred. "Come on, I gots coin. Girl only dresses like that fer one reason, an I'm willin to make a big donation fer yer career, multiple deposits included."

"Three syllable words. Your mommy would be proud," Scarlyn muttered quietly to herself. With the last gulp of her flaming hot shot, Scarlyn grimaced a little before putting on a devilishly flirtatious smile. She gracefully uncrossed her legs and popped up off of her bar stool. The Nightsister exile started swaying her hips left and right as she strutted over to the man.

"Yeah, I gots lots of coin for ye! I'm sendin' ye to school!" He howled as she approached him. The bartender came over to take Scarlyn's empty glass, saw her, and quickly went to look for something to do on the opposite side of the bar; plenty of furniture to take cover behind.

Scarlyn rested a hand on each of the man's knees, leaning over from her hips while keeping her legs straight yet spread apart. With a playful grin, she smacked the man's legs closed and swung her hips forward. Her hands fell to rest on his shoulders with her knees anchoring her position on the couch as she straddled the man. The exotic and rare nature of her firm and voluptuous Dathomiri body filled his mind. "Growing up with all them girls must've left ye starved. I think I be 'bout ready to give ye yer fill!"

The Weequay started desperately reaching with both hands at his belt, but was very abrasively interrupted when he received a precise knuckle-punch to the throat. Scarlyn was so fast he didn't even see her punch, he just felt it and immediately put both of his hands around his neck as he gasped for air. Scarlyn's flirtatious smile was looking more mischievous than seductive at that point as she reached with one hand up to her black ponytail.

Her voice was very seductive, mocking the man's earlier advances. "In my experience, men aren't that much fun when they're poking around and showing me what they can do." He was still gasping for air, but realized that he was in trouble and quickly reached with his right hand to the concealed blaster under his left arm. Another lightning-fast movement, Scarlyn pulled a small, thin knife out of her ponytail and stabbed it through his wrist and into his chest. He would've screamed in pain had his vocal chords not been stunned. Scarlyn leaned forward to a gaze that had their noses nearly touching. Her silver, iridescent eyes were all he could see. "I'd rather do the poking myself, showing men what I can do." She slowly turned the blade.

After reveling in the moment as he writhed in pain for a little while, Scarlyn finally pulled out her knife and leaned back, but continued to straddle him. She looked at the bloody knife for a moment, and then past it at his face. He couldn't speak, but his face was filled with agony and pleas for his life. Once he looked like he was preparing himself for a kill stroke, she grinned and thrust her blade right up next to, but not touching his face. She then wiped the blood off on his cheeks and giggled as she returned it to her ponytail and stood up.

She saw an even more anguished and shocked face on the Weequay man as he saw his small bag of credits in her hand. It was a priceless look and Scarlyn was enjoying a full and honest laugh out of it. Scarlyn made sure to strut back to her stool just as flirtatiously as she approached before while she continued laughing. Once she was back on her stool and was getting control of her laughter again, she took another look at the man. Aside from still grimacing in pain, his face was contorting with a lot of anger and wounded pride. So, she pouted her face in further insult and reached into her newly acquired bag of Republic credits. She tossed a silver credit chip at him. "Oh, don't make that face. Here, have a drink on you." Her laughing then continued as she motioned for the bartender to return.

The yellow Twi'lek dancer was still twirling and swaying around the pole right in front of Scarlyn's stool. She was impressed to see that the little bit of violence hadn't scared the lovely golden dancer away. With a playful grin, Scarlyn pulled a few gold credit chips from her new wallet, courtesy of the Weequay 'gentleman,' and flashed them between her fingers at the dancer. The dancer gracefully twirled up and around the pole to a near handstand and then slowly lowered herself with the grip of her legs on the pole alone. First, her lekku touched the stage towards Scarlyn and then her head and back. She kept sliding until her hips were on the stage, pushing her head almost over onto the bar that circumvented the stage. The dancer's lekku fell over the bar and into Scarlyn's lap. The arousal was worth far more than a few credit chips to Scarlyn, so she reached back into the bag of credits and pulled out as many gold credit chips as she could find. She then started sliding the credit chips into the Twi'lek's rather immodest top. "Some gold creds to match that lovely skin of yours," Scarlyn whispered and bit her lower lip with a grin.

As Scarlyn reached with her last credit, the dancer quickly but gracefully snatched it in her teeth with a flirtatious smile and sparkling brown eyes. "Oh, you're good!" Scarlyn applauded. She let the dancer's lekku run through her fingers as the dancer rose up and returned to her performance. The bartender promptly presented Scarlyn with her usual Rodian Ruin, but then made himself scarce just as quickly. He hadn't been running the bar for so many years without knowing when to get the heck out of dodge. Scarlyn gleefully downed half of her drink while watching her new favorite dancer.

She wasn't paying the Weequay man a second thought. He thankfully wasn't making any writhing noises of muted pain anymore. As Scarlyn sat her glass back down on the bar, she heard a blaster charging to fire. A grin discretely crept across her face. 'This drunkard is going to be some fun after all,' she thought to herself. She was going to wait until that last second before dodging the shot, but was interrupted when a blaster shot flew right in front of her face and into the head of the Weequay.

The blasterfire was enough to frighten away the dancer which immediately put Scarlyn into a sour mood. Scarlyn's eyes snapped over to see who fired the shot. A tall Kyuzo wearing a large metal disc-like hat was holstering his bowcaster as he walked towards her. Seeing how he seemed to mean her no harm, she turned to see the Weequay laying dead only a step or two from her with a blaster in his hand. She put on her playful, pouting face again and turned back to the Kyuzo. "Aww, you broke him! Now I have to find a new toy to play with."

"Marh blach gebreez lukae (your reputation precedes you)," the Kyuzo said as he stood tall next to the bar beside her.

"Umm, common tongue?" Scarlyn asked hopefully.

"Ladarech gara broomdee moot (Common doesn't mean universal)," he replied.

"What did you just call me?" Scarlyn was bored and getting aggravated. She put her drink down and started 'playing' with her hair.

A female Zabrak walked up and leaned on the Kyuzo's shoulder. "Cut Embo some slack. He just saved your life." Scarlyn would happily retort the statement, but the Zabrak had an accent that made Scarlyn want to hear a little more. So, she'd play along… in her own way.

"Oh, my hero! How can I ever repay you?" Scarlyn jested sarcastically. Embo squinted his orange eyes and turned to the Zabrak. She motioned for him to return to their booth over on the other side of the cantina, so he complied with a shrug. The Zabrak then sat down on the stool next to Scarlyn's. "Let me guess, you and your buddy think you just did me a favor and now you think I owe you one, is that it?"

"I'm Sugi," the Zabrak replied. "And my friend over there whom you just insulted is named Embo."

"I'm Scarlyn, and that's Bachelor Number Two." Scarlyn said pointing her thumb over her shoulder to the dead Weequay. "Now that we're all acquainted, what do you want?"

Sugi laughed at Scarlyn's blasé demeanor. "I've heard a lot about you, but I must admit that you're quite different from what I was expecting."

Scarlyn stared into the last sip of her drink wondering how it was vanishing so quickly. "Whatever you've heard about me, it's probably not true. I'm not in the habit of making friends."

"I imagine The Nexu Hunter would be a bit of a loner," Sugi jested.

Scarlyn rolled her eyes and buried her head in her arms on the bar. "That's such a terrible name. I really wish people would stop calling me that. I get a little carried away on one job and suddenly everyone thinks they know me. No one knows me."

"Oh, I'm not here to talk about your bounty hunter exploits." Sugi remained pleasant despite Scarlyn's rather animated mood. "I'm here on behalf of a mutual friend who has told me a lot about you."

The exotic accent of Sugi's voice was losing its flavor and Scarlyn was getting both bored and annoyed with the conversation. "Weren't you listening? I'm not in the habit of making friends." Scarlyn stood up and started walking towards the stage's other runway where the yellow Twi'lek dancer had resumed her performance. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I see a dancer's costume that is very much in need of my credits. You can tell your 'friend' to go suck on a moisture vaporator for all I care."

Sugi's next words stopped Scarlyn dead in her tracks. "Her name is Nyssa Arachna."

* * *

The flight on Sugi's ship, The Halo, was agonizingly long. Scarlyn spent the first hour or two assaulting Sugi with questions about her long lost love, Nyssa, but Sugi was annoyingly cryptic and tight-lipped. After apparently getting even more so on Embo's bad side by her pestering, Scarlyn admitted defeat for the time being. She was alone with her thoughts which quickly sped her away to distant memories that she hadn't reminisced for years. Scarlyn recalled the first time she met Nyssa, such a small, beautiful Cathar with white gold fur. They were four years old, but Scarlyn could hold Nyssa in her arms. Scarlyn remembered the first few nights Nyssa spent on Dathomir. The world was so exotic and different for Nyssa that she would refuse to leave Scarlyn's side. Scarlyn learned to fall asleep to the sounds of Nyssa's affectionate purring.

With Nyssa being a refugee and Scarlyn being the daughter of a lowly Nightsister, they found strength in each other as they grew. Sometimes, it was like it was them versus the world. Joy and sadness, pain and pleasure, and most other extremes of life went hand in hand throughout their childhood. Scarlyn admitted on several occasions that she sort of liked it that way, though her rebellious and assertive nature eventually caused her exile. Many of Scarlyn's nights over the past five years were spent wondering what happened to Nyssa. Her body wasn't among the countless fallen Nightsisters on Dathomir, so Scarlyn continued to hope. Finally, that hope would be rewarded.

"Wait here," Sugi ordered suddenly. Scarlyn had been so lost in reminiscing that she didn't even notice The Halo landing at an orbital spaceport. Sugi quickly exited the ship as Embo readied his bowcaster. They hadn't been successful for so long without learning to take precautions no matter what. The encounter outside was civil though. Through a small window, Scarlyn could see Sugi meeting with someone shrouded in a large, black cloak with gold markings. The cloaked figure handed Sugi a package that was most likely a generous payment. They talked for a bit and then Sugi turned back to her ship.

No sooner than stepping back on board, Sugi turned to Scarlyn. "We're done here. I trust you can show yourself out."

"What about Nyssa?" Scarlyn asked a bit too eagerly.

"We were paid to bring you here. We're not taking you or anyone else anywhere without payment. So, unless you have a business proposition for us, this is where we part ways," Sugi said bluntly and to the point. She then turned to the controls on her ship and readied it for takeoff without another word. Scarlyn had more questions for Sugi, but Embo's glares were making the ship feel more and more uncomfortable. She didn't like being out of the loop in any situation, but Nyssa was involved, so Scarlyn would see it through.

The Halo took off before Scarlyn even had time to get clear of its thrusters. After mumbling a few foul phrases at the exiting ship, Scarlyn turned her attention to the cloaked figure that had funded her trip. The person seemed just about as unsure on what to do as Scarlyn was. Should they walk towards each other? Should they draw weapons? As the silent standoff lingered, Scarlyn couldn't help but notice that the entire hangar was empty. Not even a droid was wandering about, and it was a massive hangar. There was one freighter in the back corner though which Scarlyn eyed up as a possible means of escape if necessary.

Scarlyn wasn't about to be played into someone's plot and drew her bow on the mysterious figure before her. "If this is some sort of trap, you're not going to live to regret it." The nerves that Scarlyn could sense in the figure quickly escalated. Whoever this was, their heart was racing. She wasn't a mind reader or anything, but she could tell that there was more benevolence than anything else. Against her better judgment, she slowly lowered her bow and took a few steps towards the figure. About ten meters apart, Scarlyn stopped when she saw a couple tears fall to the floor from under the figure's hood. "Who are you?" Scarlyn asked.

"Is it really you?" A whimpering, nervous voice slipped out from the cloak.

"Nyssa!" Scarlyn exclaimed excitedly. She knew that voice, but didn't move. She was still just skeptic enough not to rush in for an embrace. The figure lowered her hood slowly to reveal a beautiful Cathar woman, Nyssa Arachna. Tears of joy and relief flooded her amber feline eyes as she let her cloak fall to the floor. Amidst a utilitarian outfit with pouches and light armor, her white gold fur was immediately recognizable to Scarlyn who launched herself forward. Scarlyn wrapped her arms around Nyssa so tight that it was hurting Nyssa a bit, but it didn't matter. They both wept tears of joy that they thought they'd never weep. "I thought I'd never see you again!" Scarlyn whispered as she continued holding Nyssa tightly.

"I've dreamt of this moment every night for so many years. I can't believe I finally found you," Nyssa said with so much relief. They stood there holding each other for a very long time. Neither of them wanted to let go. It was a dream they feared to wake from; a fantasy so improbable of ever really happening. Slowly, with much trepidation, they loosened their grip on each other just enough to pull back into a close sight of each other's eyes. "You're still here," Nyssa whispered.

Scarlyn smiled as she affectionately gazed with her silver eyes at Nyssa. "If this is a dream, I hope I never wake up. Nothing in life is worth losing you again." Before Nyssa could respond, Scarlyn thrust her lips forward and locked a passionate kiss. They both breathed intensely through their noses as their kisses layered one after another. Scarlyn's hands massaged Nyssa's back and up into her hair. Nyssa was also massaging her long lost love in a similar manner. Her feline claws playfully scraped along Scarlyn's red scaled clothing and found every section of exposed skin they could find.

They were completely subdued by the moment until Scarlyn pulled her lips away slightly but very quickly. Nyssa's eyes snapped open to see Scarlyn holding her bottom lip with her fingers trying to assess where exactly she was suddenly bleeding from. Fear coursed through Nyssa's veins and all manners of apologies rushed through her mind as she stuttered to try and say something. "I… I…"

Scarlyn cracked a small smile as she looked at the blood on her fingertips and then back at Nyssa. "Believe it or not, I kind of missed that." Nyssa's fears and worries immediately vanished as quickly as they came. She smiled with a huge grin showing her sharp, feline teeth. They both held each other close once again as Scarlyn whispered affectionately into Nyssa's ears. "As much as I really don't want to let go, I don't think we should stay standing in the middle of this hangar bay."

Nyssa giggled a little bit at how ridiculous they must've looked. "Let's go to my ship," she said gleefully.

"Your ship?" Scarlyn asked surprised.

"The orange and gold one over there," Nyssa said as she let go with one arm and pointed to a ship at the far corner of the hangar. Scarlyn was very impressed to see more than just a little starfighter. Nyssa apparently had her own freighter; big enough for a small crew to operate and live. They held hands as they began walking to the ship. Only a few steps forward and Nyssa couldn't resist the urge to say something any longer. "I like your outfit. I'm tempted to walk behind you rather than beside you!"

Scarlyn didn't blush at all. She actually enjoyed the admiration and put a little more sway in her step. "It has its advantages. I'm glad you approve… You're not leaving my side though," she said as she gripped Nyssa's hand a bit tighter but still playfully. "If I can pull your attention ahead of us, care to tell me about your glamorous chariot?"

"It's brand new! Well, brand new to me anyways," Nyssa swelled with pride as they approached her ship. "I saved every credit and tradable asset that I could get my hands on for a very long time. I finally have no one telling me where to go and when to go but me." Scarlyn wanted to inquire where she'd been and what she'd been doing, but she didn't want to spoil the moment. This was the happiest she'd felt since before she was exiled.

"Well, she's a beauty," Scarlyn said in admiration. She'd had a ship in the past, but was currently between ships due to a rough job a little while back. As they got closer, Scarlyn could see the name of Nyssa's ship painted on the side. Judging by the beautiful calligraphy style of the aurebesh and looking much fresher than the rest of the ship, Scarlyn could surmise that the name was a recent addition by Nyssa. "Autumn Reverence… The name of your parent's ship. Kind of odd to name it after a crashed ship."

Nyssa smiled gently. "The Autumn Reverence originally brought us together. I hoped that maybe it could do it again."

"You really have been crushing hard on me, haven't you?" Scarlyn asked playfully. Nyssa didn't react like it was a joke though. She stopped dead in her tracks, letting go of Scarlyn's hand, and kept her eyes at the floor. Scarlyn turned to face her with a questioning look.

"I… It never occurred to me that… that you might have moved on," Nyssa struggled to put her words together as she nervously picked at her nails. "I just thought that… if I could just find you…"

Scarlyn quickly grabbed both of Nyssa's hands and lowered her posture to look Nyssa in the eyes. "I never thought that I would see you again. Lauma Dunc would've had me killed and possibly you too if I ever returned," Scarlyn spoke with complete sincerity as tears trickled down Nyssa's cheeks, getting caught in her fur. "No matter who I was with at any time though, my heart wasn't with me. It was so painful for me to be without you. It hurt deeper than any wound like a fatal blow that killed me without the mercy of letting me die. So, I left my heart with you on Dathomir. You've always had my heart, Nyssa Arachna. With you here, in my arms, I remember what it is to be happy again. I love you!" She pulled Nyssa in for a kiss of deepest passions. It was Nyssa's turn to squeeze an embrace that was painfully tight. Her tears became tears of joy and she giggled with glee within their kisses.

"I love you so much," Nyssa whispered in between their kisses.

* * *

After Nyssa presented the grand tour of her new freighter, the Autumn Reverence, which took all of ten minutes, they settled down in the living area sharing a bench seat. There was no need for adjustment or social awkwardness with the two former Nightsisters. They'd both dreamt of their reunion for so long that nothing would possibly interfere with their bliss. Nyssa slid away a little from Scarlyn on the bench in order to lie down, resting her head in Scarlyn's lap. Such a familiar experience, Scarlyn instinctively began combing her fingers through Nyssa's hair as they talked.

As Nyssa purred in delight, Scarlyn started explaining where'd she'd been and what she did after being exiled. "For a while I just wandered around Dathomir looking for a purpose. I didn't know what to do with myself. When the Jedi landed nearby, I didn't see it as an opportunity for anything, but when they offered me a ride I couldn't refuse. The only things that meant anything to me on Dathomir were you and mom, and I couldn't ever hope to see you again. So, I left. I did a lot of traveling after that; trying to find my place in the galaxy. It didn't take long before my skills were noticed and I was introduced to the life of a bounty hunter. It paid well, I didn't have any long-term commitments, and no one was in charge of me but me."

"And you've been a bounty hunter ever since?" Nyssa asked curiously.

"Mostly," Scarlyn replied. "I did some smuggling jobs here and there when I had my own ship. I also did some guard work which didn't pan out very well. Enough about me though. What about you? How'd you leave the coven without being hunted down?"

Nyssa stopped purring. She was quiet for a bit, hoping that maybe Scarlyn would withdraw the question. It was a question that needed answering though. So, she took a deep breath and tried to get the subject past them so that they could enjoy the moment again. "I didn't even get to say goodbye," Nyssa said barely above a whisper. Scarlyn immediately realized that she skipped over the most difficult part of her exile. She rarely thought about how much it hurt to be stripped from Nyssa and her mother because she couldn't afford to be weak. She continued combing her fingers through Nyssa's hair as the beautiful Cathar explained what happened after Scarlyn was exiled.

"By the time I fully recovered from our confrontation with Rama, you were gone. Scarlyn… you were my world. We were sisters of the coven, but it was always us and them. Your mother, Kiva, looked after me, just like she said she would. The entire clan was buzzing with conspiracy theories about how you could have premeditated Rama's murder, how you tried to assassinate Mother Talzin, and many other horribly false ideas. There was a lot of talk about me being an accomplice. Lauma Dunk wanted my head on a spike. If it wasn't for Kiva, I can't imagine what they would've done to me," Nyssa's voice trailed off a bit.

"But you did manage to get away," Scarlyn said cheerfully.

"Yes, I did," Nyssa replied less cheerfully. "I don't really want to talk about it. Long story short, I ended up working for the Black Suns. I wasn't a slave or anything. I did odds and ends militant jobs; accompanying teams whenever a little more stealth or extra muscle was needed. I worked with a variety of people. Sometimes I ran into some people I would just love to forget about completely, but I also made a few friends. Once I established myself as a reliable resource to the Black Suns, I was sent on more missions where I was their representative in a group of bounty hunters. Sugi and Embo, the ones who brought you here, were regulars on my missions."

"Embo's a piece of work," Scarlyn jested in an attempt to try and bring the conversation to a more cheerful tone.

Nyssa smiled a bit. "Sugi said that she would've charged extra for the grief you apparently caused him had we not been friends. Anyways, when working with a crime organization, the take for any job is always split many ways. I saved all the money that I could though and Sugi helped me out a bit. She got me the good deal on this ship."

"I suppose I could've been a little nicer," Scarlyn mumbled playfully.

"It was those missions with bounty hunters where I first heard of a Dathomir witch making a name for herself," Nyssa said with more hope and cheer returning to her eyes. "I talked myself out of the possibility that it might be you. The chances were so low, but I couldn't keep myself from hoping. The thought of seeing you again… When I saw a news broadcast on the holonet talking about a big dust-up on Kessel, I just had to find out if it was you. The description of the bounty hunter sounded like you. They called her 'The Nexu Hunter.' As soon as I got my own ship, I was free to go and do as I pleased and I started searching. I didn't have any luck though for months. So, I did what anyone I knew would do when trying to find an elusive bounty hunter; I hired a bounty hunter. I'm very much relieved that The Nexu Hunter was you. I'm not sure how that meeting would've went if it was a stranger."

"Alright, let's get one thing out of the way. I hate that name. I didn't give it to myself and it doesn't even make any sense," Scarlyn scoffed and mocked the prowess of her title.

"But, it's how I found you," Nyssa turned her head to look up at Scarlyn with a smile. "How did you get that title anyways?"

Scarlyn rolled her eyes with a long sigh. "I was hired to take out a group of warlords who were based on Kessel. When I found out that they were Zygerrian slavers, I lost my temper and got a bit overzealous."

"Because of Kiva. I remember. We really made Rama look like a fool though," Nyssa said with a giggle.

"Yeah, we did," Scarlyn smiled. "The warlords had a bounty on their heads and I was there to collect, but I wanted them to suffer first. So, I took them out from the shadows one by one, but very slowly. I made sure that their leader knew that I was coming for him long before I actually did. He sealed himself behind walls and guards. Getting to him required a lot of fighting and those guards weren't exactly frugal with their firepower. Anyways, I finished the job without a problem. One of the higher up guards apparently survived though. He described me like a nexu; white with black markings and attacking with extreme ferocity. The Nexu Bounty Hunter."

"It's kind of catchy," Nyssa teased.

"Nexu Hunter makes me sound like I hunt nexu! You know better than anyone that I am very much a cat person!" Scarlyn said assertively in reference to her feline companion. Nyssa smiled bashfully at the remark, but then played into the part of Scarlyn that was a cat person and purred. She nuzzled her head against Scarlyn's lap and snuggled in as close to Scarlyn as she possibly could. "Yeah… definitely a cat person," Scarlyn whispered.

Scarlyn had a weak spot for Nyssa's purring. It always made her heart melt and Nyssa knew it. Even after five years, it still worked like a charm. Nyssa was trying to be as adorable as possible with her nuzzling, but kept starting and stopping. Once Scarlyn squinted, trying to figure out what was the matter, Nyssa tried to be cute as she addressed the issue. "You know, it's kind of tough to be your kitty when my fur keeps getting caught in the scales on your clothes."

"Oh, kitty doesn't like scales?" Scarlyn playfully jested.

Nyssa started scratching lightly and playfully at Scarlyn's scaled clothing which was undeniably arousing. "Kitty likes what's under the scales…" Nyssa whimpered. Before Scarlyn could reply, Nyssa stretched her arms out, arching her body over Scarlyn's lap, with a big yawn. "I think it's time I go to bed."

"Oh, please, please don't be tired now! Not after all that!" Scarlyn's heart was racing and her eyes were right in the middle of feasting over Nyssa's adult body, utilitarian clothing and all.

Nyssa got up from the bench and perched herself on a dejarik table in front of Scarlyn. "I said I'm going to bed. I didn't say anything about going to sleep." Scarlyn stood up a little too eagerly. With another playful yawn, Nyssa slowly started heading back to the captain's quarters of her ship.

* * *

Ships came and went from the large spaceport hangar. Hours, days even, passed by. The world outside the Autumn Reverence was of no concern and might as well not exist to Scarlyn Sturm and Nyssa Arachna. Clothes littered the hallways of the ship which was filled with subtle yet sweet fragrances of scented candles. They only ever left the captain's quarter's bed when their stomachs complained loud enough for something to eat. Even then, it was a teasing fight of both of them refusing to let each other put any clothes on. It was just like when they first met. Well, more involved, but they still couldn't leave each other's sides. They even managed to both fit themselves into the small onboard refresher at the same time; kind of defeating the purpose of getting clean.

The one thing that finally seemed to put an end to their odyssey of intimacy was one afternoon where Nyssa was searching for something to eat. Scarlyn was lying in a sensual pose on the bench seat opposite the dejarik table beckoning for her lover to return. It was taking Nyssa a bit longer than usual though. Scarlyn called down the hallway to check on her lovely Cathar. "You know, stalling isn't going to help you win dejarik!"

Nyssa finally returned into the living area and scoffed at the sight of Scarlyn. "Well, how could I possibly win with you distracting me all the time!?"

"I could put some clothes on-" Scarlyn began to tease before Nyssa stopped her with a quick kiss and a small lip bite.

"You want to see all of me? I get to see all of you. That's the deal," Nyssa quipped as she ran her feline claws along Scarlyn's salt-white body. She sat back down at her stool on the other side of the dejarik table and pondered her next move.

Scarlyn affectionately massaged one of the bite marks on her thigh, but then noticed that Nyssa didn't have any food with her. "Craved being with me so badly that you forgot to grab something to eat, eh?"

Nyssa made her suicidal move, her only move left available in the game, and looked at Scarlyn with more serious eyes. "We're going to have to leave the ship soon. We're almost out of food. Maybe there's a marketplace here at the spaceport."

After gleefully winning the dejarik game, Scarlyn looked up at Nyssa to have a less-fun talk. "I haven't actually thought about anything past the present moment for a long time now. I don't even know how long we've been on this ship together!"

"Neither do I!" Nyssa replied. They both had a good laugh before returning to the matter at hand. "We're almost out of food though. I only have two supply bars left which will give us a couple days at best."

Scarlyn got up from her bench and perched herself up on the dejarik table, playing with Nyssa with her feet. "Spaceport marketplaces are terribly expensive. They charge so much because people who shop there typically are in enough need to not be able to go elsewhere. If you want to stay here, you're buying, because I don't have a lot of money to my name right now," Scarlyn grimaced briefly, thinking about something that had driven her to the end of all of her resources with no results.

"Most of my credits went to paying Sugi to find you," Nyssa confessed almost in a gloating fashion. "I spent my savings on this ship… Wait, why are you not wealthy? With your nickname shot all over the holonet, I figured you'd be getting work wherever you wanted at whatever price you wanted."

Scarlyn stopped teasing Nyssa with her feet and stood up. She didn't walk away, but she turned away from Nyssa and covered herself up a bit with her arms like she was trying to protect herself. "Nyssa… I have something to tell you… but I don't know how."

Nyssa stood up and came around to face Scarlyn. The usually proud and shameless Dathomiri looked vulnerable and exposed. "What is it? Whatever it is, you can tell me," Nyssa pleaded. A tear trickled down Scarlyn's cheek. As rare of a sight as Scarlyn was in this state, she was still holding a lot in of what was tearing her apart. "Scarlyn, Sweetheart, you can talk to me. I'm here for you," Nyssa held Scarlyn close and steeled herself for what might be a devastating truth.

"My mother…" Scarlyn began barely above a whisper. "All of our sisters… They're all dead."

"What!?" Nyssa recoiled in shock. She tried to stay calm and comforting for Scarlyn, but that was a delivery of news that she never saw coming. "How!?"

"The Clone Wars finally came to Dathomir," Scarlyn explained in a restrained whimper. She was trying so hard to remain strong and get the words out. The endless moments of happiness aboard the Autumn Reverence were finished. "The Separatist army, led by General Grievous, slaughtered everyone. Karis, Naa'leth, Lauma, my mother… They were all killed."

Nyssa couldn't think of anything to say. Her own tears were welling up and escaping her amber eyes. She waited patiently for Scarlyn to finish. "Our coven put up a good fight. They even called upon the army of the dead."

"How do you know all of this? I've heard nothing about Dathomir at all on the holonet," Nyssa inquired.

"I went back there," Scarlyn replied simply.

"Scarlyn!" Nyssa exclaimed. "You could've been killed for returning to the coven! What could've possibly driven you to go back there!?"

"I can't explain it," Scarlyn answered, trying to get control of herself. "I got this feeling. Strong enough to wake me from a deep sleep, I just had this feeling all of a sudden that my mother was in trouble. I went back there, but I was too late. The droids had already come and gone. I… I walked over dozens of fallen sisters. Then, I found my mother still alive."

"Kiva is alive?" Nyssa asked with a grin. "Where is she?"

"She was alive," Scarlyn corrected. "When I found her, she was trapped under a fallen pillar outside the temple. Her legs were crushed. There was nothing I could do. She asked me to…" Scarlyn couldn't continue. Her last resolve for withholding her emotions broke and she crumbled into Nyssa's arms and down to the floor.

Nyssa held her for a long time. No words were spoken. Scarlyn cried out so much anguish that she'd bottled up for so long. Nyssa was on the floor with her beloved Scarlyn cradled in her arms. There was so much to be happy for, but Kiva was just as much a mother to Nyssa as she was to Scarlyn. Once Scarlyn started getting control over herself again, Nyssa tried to finish the topic of conversation. "You probably already know this, but being able to see you again was her greatest wish. You were there for her in the end, and I'm so thankful for that… You're shaking all over, Sweety. Let's get you some water."

They both got up and made their way into the dining compartment of Nyssa's ship. Scarlyn sipped at a glass of water as Nyssa opened every cabinet for a third time. Her stomach's growls were getting louder. The lack of food reminded Scarlyn why she had to break the hard news to Nyssa at that time. "I promised my mother something. I made a vow. I don't expect you to come with me. You certainly don't have to, but I have something that I need to do."

"Whatever it is, I'm going with you," Nyssa came up behind Scarlyn and wrapped her arms tightly around Scarlyn's pale body.

"General Grievous is responsible for the slaughter of our sisters. I've learned that he was only there because of Asajj Ventress, but he massacred our entire coven anyways," Scarlyn spoke with new strength. She was adamant on seeing her mission through. "I swore to avenge our fallen sisters and I will do just that. Grievous will die by my hand."

Nyssa gripped Scarlyn's hands tightly. "By our hands. Your vow is now my vow. This is our mission. This is what we will do. Together."

"I've spent the past several months chasing every lead I could get. I've learned as much as I could about Grievous. He's always the last to show up at a battle and the first to leave. It's impossible to track his movements. I've exhausted all of my resources. I even lost my ship trying to chase down a possible informant," Scarlyn's exhaustion was more than just financial. Her heart was fully committed, but her hope was waning. Nyssa's stomach growled again which did manage to make Scarlyn smile a little. "I searched for you on Dathomir. I can't begin to tell you the relief that I felt when I couldn't find you."

"If I have any say in the matter, you'll never be without me again," Nyssa whispered as she held Scarlyn close. "The matter at hand is not resolving itself though. If we want to hunt down Grievous, we need to eat something." She handed Scarlyn a supply bar as she bit into her own.

"So," Scarlyn began assessing their situation between bites. "I barely have any credits to my name and you've just spent the last of yours. I hate to say it, but I'm going to have to collect some bounties before we can continue a pursuit of Grievous. They're going to need to be big bounties too if we want to keep your ship running."

"Any chance those bounties could aid our search for Grievous?" Nyssa asked.

"I did a few for Separatist war criminals," Scarlyn took another bite of her supply bar as she kept talking – very lady like. "The Seps seem to like putting bounties on each other, but none of them have known anything about Grievous. As far as the chain of command goes, it's like he's taking orders from someone much higher up and he doesn't associate with anyone below him aside from tactical droids. If we're looking for information courtesy of his affiliates, we're going to need some connections that can't be bought."

Nyssa finished her supply bar. They're supposed to last for a few days each, but Scarlyn and Nyssa had spent a lot of energy recently and needed the recharge. After a brief moment of amazement over how she engulfed the entire supply bar, she had a thought. "I might know someone."

Scarlyn stopped mid-chew. "Tell me!"

"Conradin Hadranus," Nyssa said the name with a bit of affection. "He's a close friend and happens to be a high-ranking general for the Separatist Alliance."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. You're friends with the Emerald General?" Scarlyn was baffled at this revelation and thirsted for more like it was a five-course meal.

"Yeah, you know him?" Nyssa was curious and mildly entertained at Scarlyn's reaction.

"I saw a news snippet on the holonet not too long ago about him. Shu Mai was ranting and raving about Conradin Hadranus. She didn't really say a lot, but definitely hated the guy. He apparently disobeys orders but is a brilliant enough strategist that they keep him around. From the sounds of him, I figured he wouldn't be much help getting to Grievous though. Being on the outs with Shu Mai makes me think that he isn't well-connected with higher-ups," Scarlyn was getting back to her 'dead end' tone of voice. "You think he can help?"

"If there's anything that I've learned about Conrad, it's that he has connections in high places," Nyssa said with a hopeful smile.

"First things first. We need to get some food," Scarlyn smirked. "Which means we're going to need to put some clothes on."

Nyssa pouted playfully. "Not just yet," she whispered as she sunk her claws lightly into Scarlyn's full moon. "I know a bazaar on Saleucami. We can get a lot of food for a good price there; enough to stock the cabinets for a week or two at least."

"How far away is Saleucami from this spaceport? I wasn't exactly paying attention to where we were going when I was being brought here," Scarlyn asked nonchalantly. It was a game. The more she ignored Nyssa's advances, the harder Nyssa would try to get a reaction out of her.

"About three hours away…" Nyssa purred as she closed every space that could possibly exist between them.

"Does Revy have autopilot?" Scarlyn asked with an uncontrolled smile creeping across her face.

"Three hours…" Nyssa whispered as she nodded her head affirmatively.


	3. Wrath of a Nightsister Scorned pt1

_**Wrath of a Nightsister Scorned**_

Part 1 of 2

Scarlyn and Nyssa - They both thought that their days together were blissful but distant memories, buried in past. Distance and time separated them into very different lives, but all of that melted away when they were reunited. Every difference, every nuance of change that had occurred within them since last seeing each other five years ago had melted away. Scarlyn and Nyssa were together again and that was all that mattered.

While many petty grievances or stresses that they were enduring individually had all but evacuated their minds, there was one mission that stayed in the foreground. Scarlyn took an oath to avenge her coven and her mother. General Grievous would pay in blood for slaughtering the Nightsisters on Dathomir. Nyssa, once learning of the massacre, was equally set on avenging their fallen sisters.

Scarlyn had exhausted every resource she had trying to hunt down the cowardly cyborg. Now all hope rested on a contact of Nyssa's that just might be able to provide them with the information that they needed to slay Grievous. Conradin Hadranus was a high-ranking general in the Separatist Alliance and agreed to meet them both. So, they were heading to his home planet of Achilles in Nyssa's ship, the Autumn Reverence.

* * *

There was an unwritten rule developing between the two former Nightsisters on the Reverence; if they were alone and traveling on the ship, wearing clothes seemed to not be allowed. It wasn't long after each time they came aboard that they had stripped each other of every stitch and clasp. Heading through hyperspace to Achilles, they both were in the cockpit, admiring the blue streaks of light that caressed their ship.

Nyssa Arachna sat in the pilot's seat with Scarlyn Sturm lovingly in her lap. Her white gold fur was a soft and sensual comfort that Scarlyn could never get close enough to. Scarlyn's pale white skin glistened in the blue light of hyperspace as she ran her fingers through her lover's hair and scratched behind Nyssa's feline ears. Time seemed to completely escape the pair. The Dathomiri and Cathar would sit in each others' arms for centuries if they could. They'd missed five years of life together and refused to let another day go by without lovingly looking into each others' eyes.

As Nyssa purred in delight to Scarlyn's attentive scratching, Scarlyn turned to look out the side window of the cockpit. An expression of subtle lament came across her eyes as she looked out at nothing in particular. "I wonder how long this will last," she whispered.

Nyssa opened her amber eyes and noticed Scarlyn dwelling on things that weren't happening yet. "What do you mean?"

"If life has taught me anything, it's that happiness never lasts. I love you and I couldn't be happier being here with you… right now. I don't want it to end," Scarlyn trailed off with some tears welling in her silver eyes. Life was hard for her. It had been hard and she had buried herself behind masks of toughness and confidence for so long. Such a streak of days filled with so much happiness felt too good to be true. Normally so fierce, it was only with Nyssa that she was willing to drop all defenses and be honest with her own emotions.

"Nothing will separate us," Nyssa said with confidence. "I'm too stubborn and you're too scary to let anything or anyone come between us." Nyssa's attempt to cheer up her love worked fairly well. Scarlyn smiled and wiped her eyes.

They both looked at each other for a moment in silence. Only the humming of the Autumn Reverence's engines could be heard. "I love you," Scarlyn said with unconditional sincerity and affection.

"And I you," Nyssa purred back. She playfully grasped Scarlyn's black ponytail and pulled Scarlyn in for a deep kiss and a little lip nibble. Scarlyn tried to pull away from the nibble, but Nyssa wasn't letting go and they both started laughing amidst their unusually long kiss.

Their bliss was smacked into panic and shock as a blue holoform suddenly popped up from the console in front of them! Scarlyn and Nyssa dived for the floor and scurried behind the pilots's chair as the holoform of Conradin Hadranus tried to speak to them. "Nyssa? Are you there?" Once they realized that it was just Conrad calling them on the cockpit's holoterminal, both former Nightsisters couldn't help but burst into laughter and uncontrollable giggles. Scarlyn was especially unable to control her laughter as she watched Nyssa scramble for some clothes to put on. All Conradin could see was an empty pilot seat and could hear the faint sound of incessant giggles. "This is Senator Conradin Hadranus. Is this the Autumn Reverence?"

Though no one came to sit in the chair, Conradin did hear a voice respond with giggling still going on in the background. "Hey, Conrad! I'll be there in a second!" Nyssa shouted as she hopped on one foot trying to get her shorts up. Scarlyn was relishing in the mischief and was playfully pulling at Nyssa's clothes.

Conradin saw Scarlyn's head pop into view from the side of the pilot's chair. "Actually, you might want to give her a few minutes. Whaaa!" Nyssa yanked Scarlyn away from the chair and they wrestled for a good half minute.

"Should I call back?" Conradin asked slightly amused.

Nyssa threw herself into the pilot's chair and proudly stared at Scarlyn who couldn't jump her without giving Conradin a full show. Scarlyn gave her a look which meant that the playful wrestling match wasn't even close to over and then went back through the ship towards the kitchen. Once she knew she was 'safe,' Nyssa turned her attention to the patient man at the holoterminal. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be," Conradin responded pleasantly. "It's great to see you so happy. I take it that was Scarlyn?"

"Yeah," Nyssa smiled, blushing a little.

"Well, I wish the very best for you two," Conradin's face changed to a more serious expression. "I'll be a little late for our meeting, but I will be there."

"Trouble?" Nyssa asked.

"Nothing to worry about," Conradin shrugged it off. "Since I'll be a few hours behind your arrival to Achilles, why don't you two just meet me at the palace? I'll be landing there. We should still have enough time to meet before I have to meet with the queen."

"It will be night time… I can show Scarlyn the palace bioluminescent gardens!" Nyssa couldn't even slightly hide the huge grin on her face.

"Excellent idea. I'll see you tonight," the holoform of Conradin vanished. Nyssa sat back and smiled, replaying the little wrestling match that she had with Scarlyn in her head.

Scarlyn came back to the cockpit with a small snack for the two of them and playfully lectured Nyssa. "You know, having your holoterminal on auto-answer isn't what I would call a wise choice."

Nyssa took the snack from Scarlyn with a playfully apologetic and pouty expression. "I didn't know it was on auto-answer. I'm still learning the ins and outs of our new ship."

"Our?" Scarlyn cocked an eyebrow as she sat down in the copilot's seat.

"Well, yeah…" Nyssa smiled affectionately. "I bought this ship, but it's ours. I mean, it's our home. Unless…" Nyssa started looking worried as unpleasant thoughts of separation entered her mind.

Scarlyn quickly eliminated the intrusion of doubt by placing a hand on Nyssa's cheek to draw her focus. "There's no place I'd rather be." Nyssa smiled with glee and lunged towards Scarlyn for a kiss, nearly falling out of her chair.

* * *

The Clone Wars had ravaged many planets, sometimes wiping out entire civilizations. Large transports full of refugees were an almost constant presence in orbital traffic over planets that remained untouched by the ongoing struggle. Thanks in large part to Senator Conradin Hadranus' humanitarian campaigns, Achilles was one of the primary safe havens for Separatist refugees. The Autumn Reverence came out of hyperspace to behold hundreds of ships coming and going from the green, blue and white planet.

After the seemingly endless inching along in one of the inbound traffic lanes, the Autumn Reverence entered the atmosphere and broke from the congested traffic. Scarlyn and Nyssa flew in towards the capital at sunset and it was an awe-inspiring sight. Nestled in a small valley, surrounded by snowcapped mountains, the capital was a utopian beacon of prosperity. Platinum and gold spires glistened in the waning light as organized traffic lanes of ships smoothly slipped between them.

At the far end of the horseshoe-shaped valley, the palace watched over the capital, resting part way up the nearest mountain. It was massive, easily big enough to employ the population of an entire town. As Nyssa piloted their approach to the capital's spaceport, Scarlyn couldn't help but gawk at the sight of it all. "How do you know this guy again?" She asked in amazement.

"That's a long story for another time," Nyssa replied with an undercurrent of lamentation. She finished the landing procedures as Scarlyn gathered a few things for them to bring along on their walk to the palace. It would take a few hours, but they had time and wanted to take in the city at a slower pace.

As they walked, Nyssa couldn't help but notice a change in Scarlyn. On the ship, she was free of inhibitions and completely forthcoming. Outside the ship, she was guarded and not very talkative. She maintained a façade of confidence that dared anyone to approach her like she was playing a game. She did hold Nyssa's hand as they walked though, so the mischievous and affectionate woman wasn't completely absent.

Once they arrived at the bioluminescent gardens that climbed up to the front gates of the palace shortly after nightfall, Nyssa finally addressed the shift in her lover's personality. "Hey, Lyn," she spoke softly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Why?" Scarlyn shrugged indifferently.

"I couldn't help but notice how you've changed since we left the spaceport. You're… detached. It's like you're not really here." Nyssa tried to pick her words carefully. She didn't want Scarlyn to misinterpret her concern as annoyance.

Scarlyn took a deep breath in and let out an even deeper sigh. She knew what Nyssa was talking about and figured this conversation would happen sooner or later. She looked up to the stars that were greeting the evening as she explained. "When my mother died, I didn't simply bury her… It had been so long since our lessons, but I still remembered the words."

"What did you do?" Nyssa looked Scarlyn straight in the eyes with a lot of concern.

"I took a vow, a promise sewn into my soul and reinforced by the magics." Scarlyn tried to look away, but Nyssa's fear was growing by the second and wouldn't let Scarlyn turn. Her Cathar lover couldn't do anything but listen with intense trepidation. "I will avenge my mother's death by destroying the monster that took her from me. I will not rest until either he dies or I die. Every night until such absolution, I will relive my mother's final moments in my dreams as a reminder of what I now live for – revenge."

Nyssa let Scarlyn out of her grasp and turned away. She gazed at the teal and lavender glowing arches of the bioluminescent garden as she took a moment to process what she'd heard. Scarlyn anxiously held her breath, waiting for a response. After a long moment of silence, Nyssa came to terms with Scarlyn's self-inflicted curse. There was nothing that could be done now but free her of it and there were far worse effects the blood vow could have caused. Realizing Scarlyn's own nerves rising, Nyssa diffused the tension with some humor. "And here I thought you simply weren't a morning person anymore." She turned back to Scarlyn and smiled gently.

Scarlyn giggled slightly at Nyssa's quip and pulled the white-gold Cathar in for a tight hug. As Nyssa embraced her Dathomiri lover, she pushed her original query. "I'll do everything in my power to help you fulfill your vow. I understand your groggy morning attitude now, but that doesn't explain why you've been acting so differently since we left the ship."

"The Autumn Reverence is a place where I have no memories or reminders of anything aside from being happy with you. It's sort of become a sanctuary for me I suppose," Scarlyn loosened their embrace to face Nyssa. "Outside the ship, I can't help but return my focus to my mis – our mission, to kill Grievous. It's all I've thought about for months."

A Separatist sheathipede shuttle flew in low over their heads, drawing their attention. It slowed to a hover over the palace and then descended to a small landing pad on the far side. Nyssa turned to Scarlyn with a reassuring smile. "Well, our mission is why we're here. That shuttle must've been Conrad. Let's go."

* * *

Conradin Hadranus was both a senator and a general in the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Known to be a great strategist both in space and on the ground as well as being a skilled negotiator, he had gained the respect of many figureheads on both sides of the war. He gained just as many influential enemies though due to his controversial tactics stemming from his political and moral views. They called him the Emerald General, the maverick of the Separatist fleet.

With such a robust reputation, Scarlyn was expecting a seasoned warrior who had a tendency to get on people's nerves with just the sound of his voice. As they waited in his office, Nyssa reassured her that he was gentle and compassionate. Such reassurances only got on her nerves, clashing so heavily with his reputation; Scarlyn suspected that Nyssa and Conradin might have had a longer history and a deeper bond than she'd be comfortable with. Jealousy wasn't her strong suit though, so she maintained her skeptic, sarcastic and overly-confident attitude that she was so accustomed to presenting to the world.

Any and all expectations of the Emerald General were shattered when a young man entered the office. Ruggedly handsome and no older than Scarlyn was, Conradin held a pleasant smile and carried himself with a humble confidence. He wore a red, decorated uniform jacket with black slacks. Scarlyn wasn't quite sure what to make of him. There he was, this unassuming young man who earned such renown in the Clone Wars both in battle and in the political arena. To break the ice, he politely approached her and took her hand in greeting. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Scarlyn. Nyssa has told me a lot about you."

As Nyssa went in for a hug to greet Conrad, Scarlyn's skeptic facial expression only intensified. "Nyssa hasn't told me anything about you," Scarlyn blurted out with a wince of annoyance. She didn't like being on the outside looking in.

"Probably because she knows that I appreciate my anonymity and privacy. There's enough talk about me on the holonet as it is," Conradin shrugged off any discomfort. "So, how can I help two lovely former Nightsisters?"

"Is it safe to talk here?" Nyssa asked quietly. Conradin looked at her for a moment in confusion, but then realized that whatever the matter was, it must've been very sensitive. He turned and closed the door behind him. Then, he set a few switches around each door and window. Once he was done, he turned back to Nyssa and nodded. "We need your help to…" Nyssa's voice trailed off.

"To kill General Grievous," Scarlyn finished the statement boldly.

After getting over a fair amount of surprise, Conradin tried as best he could to take them seriously. As farfetched as it sounded, they didn't look like they were joking. "Normally, I would tell you to take a number and get in line. I think ten thousand Jedi Knights want the same thing," Conradin paused for a moment to contemplate the matter. "Would this be because of what happened on Dathomir?"

Scarlyn looked away without a word. She didn't want to discuss the details of what happened, so Nyssa tried to move the talk along. "More or less. Will you help us?"

"No," Conradin answered assertively.

Impatiently, Scarlyn pressed him. "Whatever happened to being a wild card? I thought you were known for taking risks and making controversial actions."

"Evacuating and freeing a hostage population rather than executing them is a controversial move. Attacking a fleet twice as large as mine is a risky maneuver. Assassinating or aiding in the assassination of an ally, not to mention my military rank commanding officer, is just plain stupid," Conradin spoke with an assertive and resolute tone. "I understand your motives. Believe me, I understand. I must urge you though to reconsider this task." He tried to present candor without being offensive, but Scarlyn saw little difference in that instance.

"I knew this was a waste of time!" Scarlyn growled as she turned for the office door.

Nyssa grabbed Scarlyn's hand to stop her and turned to Conradin. "Conrad, we're going after Grievous, with or without your help," she looked to Scarlyn with sincerity and devotion, but also a deep expression of concern. "We would fair far better with your help though."

Scarlyn was continually tugging at Nyssa's grip as a reminder of her impatience, but Nyssa still had an adamant hope. Conradin took a long moment to consider everything about the mission and what had been said. "I can't say that I condone killing Grievous. This war has already seen too much death. Would you consider capturing him alive?"

"This isn't about your war," Scarlyn spoke through clenched teeth. "Grievous will die."

Conradin looked to Nyssa who nodded in agreement with Scarlyn. They were resolute. With a sigh, he conceded. "I won't help you take him down. My life rests on a razor's edge these days. I am on your side though. Grievous is a radical who is only using the war as an excuse for his genocidal endeavors. Killing all of the Jedi would only throw the galaxy into chaos. I do believe that this war could come closer to a diplomatic resolution if Grievous was removed from power."

Scarlyn crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "So, are you helping us or not?"

"I can't fight alongside you, but perhaps I can help in another form," Conradin pondered what he could do off of the record. "Is there anything you need that I can provide?"

"Information," Nyssa replied. "We are struggling to even find Grievous."

"That I can do," Conradin smiled. "I don't usually receive a lot of notice when I learn of his whereabouts. The only time I have ever known his location was when I've been assigned to joint missions with him. Even among the leaders of the CIS, he is quite elusive. The next time that I learn where he will be, you'll need to be ready to move."

"We will be," Scarlyn finally revealed something akin to a smile.

"Thank you, Conradin," Nyssa smiled cheerfully.

"I'm playing things pretty close to the chest these days," Conradin sighed. "Everything I do to help you will have to be non-traceable. I'm convinced that my holoterminals are tapped and my every move is being tracked… You'll need to stay put until you hear from me. Where can I reach you?"

"Florrum," Scarlyn said without even conferring with Nyssa. She apparently had thought this part out far ahead of time and Nyssa trusted Scarlyn to know what was best in this instance.

"Wait there until you hear from me. It may be several days, possibly a few weeks," Conradin was speaking clear and confident, but it was rather obvious that his mind was racing with dozens of countermeasures and safeguards. He must've been in hotter water than he was letting on.

"That might not be so easy," Nyssa spoke up. "We're short on supplies. We need to find some work before we can settle anywhere."

"I can't wire you credits. That would be traced…" Conradin submerged into deep thought for a moment. Then, he walked over to his desk and reached into a drawer. With the click of a switch, a sizeable durasteel safe came up out of the desk on one side. He reached in and grabbed a sizeable container. Handing it to Nyssa, he smiled reassuringly. "This should help."

Nyssa opened the container to reveal a small fortune in Republic credits. She gawked at it wide-eyed. "We can't accept this!"

Conradin refused to take it back. "It's the least I can do for an old friend. Take it. I never put all of my eggs in a single basket, or case in this instance. You need that more than I do."

After handing the credit case to Scarlyn, Nyssa embraced Conradin with a very tight hug. "I don't know what to say," she whispered.

"Just make sure that you come out of this in one piece," Conradin replied. After Nyssa let go of him, Conradin straightened his coat and ran his fingers through his short, brown hair. Quickly making himself look presentable, he formalized his posture and addressed Nyssa and Scarlyn in a more business-like manner. "I'm afraid I must go now. I'm here on official business to see the queen of Achilles and she's probably waiting for me."

"Always on the move," Nyssa smiled.

"Always," Conradin chuckled back. He took Scarlyn's hand in his. "It really was a pleasure to meet you. I hope we meet again."

"Anything's possible," Scarlyn quipped with an unreadable tone. Conrad smiled gently and exited his office.

Once they were alone, Nyssa turned to Scarlyn. "So… Florrum?"

"I have a few contacts there," Scarlyn smirked. "Salvagers frequent the planet, so it is a good place to get information on where battles are taking place in the war. Salvagers make it their business to know. I figure if we have to stay put, we might as well stay in a place where we might get a potential lead on Grievous ourselves."

Nyssa nodded in agreement, but looked more concerned than anything else. "You really don't trust Conrad that much?"

"Not even as far as I can throw him," Scarlyn stated indifferently. Five years of relying on nobody but herself had made trust nothing more than a comical notion of nostalgia belonging to a long lost Nightsister, ignorant to the cruelties the galaxy had to offer.

"Doesn't my vouching for him mean anything?" Nyssa started looking a little hurt.

Scarlyn stepped forward and kissed Nyssa intensely, nearly taking both of their breaths away and causing Nyssa to stumble a step backwards. She then whispered compassionately into Nyssa's feline ear. "I trust you unreservedly. That's why I'm going along with this plan, because of you."

Nyssa kissed her cheek and held her close. "I suppose we shouldn't put all of our eggs in one basket either. Florrum it is."

* * *

The trip to Florrum was the most uneventful and silent stretch of time Scarlyn and Nyssa had spent together in years. Both of their minds were racing with thoughts dwelling on the upcoming confrontation. Neither of them would say it out loud, but their chances of both surviving a duel with Grievous was slim to none. Those thoughts weren't the harbingers of silence between them though. They'd been reunited for over a month, but only after meeting Conradin Hadranus did it finally sink in just how long they'd been apart. Scarlyn and Nyssa had lived separate lives, meeting different people and developing different relationships. Meeting each other at such a young age, they'd never known each other as… strangers.

Scarlyn refused to ask the cliché questions of a jealous woman inquiring about Nyssa's history with Conradin. She'd hope Nyssa would explain in her own time, but the questions screamed evermore louder in her mind as they made their approach to Florrum. Fortunately, arriving at their destination would provide plenty of distractions for her. Snapping both Scarlyn and Nyssa out of their deep thinking, the Autumn Reverence's holoterminal started beeping, signaling an incoming call. Scarlyn turned to Nyssa for a snide comment before answering. "Now, if we were in the middle of more intimate endeavors, our caller wouldn't have just gotten a free show. Isn't call-waiting a nice and convenient thing?"

Nyssa smirked with playful annoyance as Scarlyn opened the holochannel. A Weequay man with a long red coat and a black, turtle shell-like hat appeared before them. He immediately eyed up Scarlyn. "Well, the ship isn't familiar but you certainly are. And to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, my dear?"

"Typical Hondo," Scarlyn rolled her eyes. "Do you really expect every ship that enters Florrum's orbit to have something to do with you?"

"Ha ha! If it isn't my business, I make it my business!" Hondo chuckled with excessive charisma as the Autumn Reverence started breeching Florrum's atmosphere.

"You don't want my business," Scarlyn playfully glared at Hondo Ohnaka's holoform. "Or have you already forgotten last time we met?"

"Come, come now, Scarlyn. There's no need for that. I live in the now!" As if it was a simple switch to be flipped, he went straight from heckling sarcasm to very serious and reserved. "Now tell me, what business do you have here on Florrum?"

"It's none of your concern," Scarlyn stated adamantly. "We won't even be near your base."

"Ah, but it is my… Wait, we? Did you say 'we'? My, my, my, my in my many years I don't think I've ever seen you travel in any way but solo!" Curiosity had sunk its teeth into Hondo and he was reveling in the bite.

"Goodbye, Hondo!" Scarlyn waved him off and reached to turn off the holoterminal. He interrupted before she hit it though.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! I insist that you at least stop by for a drink before you commence with whatever it is you are here for." Hondo tried to lay on his charm as thick as he could. "Come on, Scarlyn, for old time's sake."

Nyssa had just about enough of his innuendo and finally spoke up. "Or what? You'll shoot us out of the sky!?"

Scarlyn's eyes opened very wide in shock and made sure that she got the next word in. "We'll be arriving shortly, Hondo. See you soon." Before Hondo could reply, she ended the holotransmission. She then immediately glared at Nyssa who had an audacious and questioning expression on her face. "He just might shoot us out of the sky if we put him in the mood!"

"Who is this guy?" Nyssa asked slightly annoyed. "How do you have a history with such a disgusting roughback?"

Scarlyn withdrew her raw emotions and returned to a more collected and calm state of mind. She didn't want to see Hondo, but there wasn't any refusing him. Nyssa needed to know what they were walking into. "Governments and factions be what they may, Hondo Ohnaka is the pirate lord of Florrum. More or less, he is the authority on the planet. He's vile and impulsive. Don't question him or offend him. While his den is full of pirates, they're unusually loyal to him in particular."

Nyssa sat back to digest what she was just told. After a moment, she looked back at Scarlyn with a more interrogative tone. "My question stands. How do you know this guy? From the sounds of what he said, you two have quite the history."

They were only a few minutes from landing. Scarlyn really didn't mean for it to sound like she was throwing Nyssa's words back at her in spite, but they needed to put their conversation on hold and pick it up again later. "That's a long story for another time."


	4. Wrath of a Nightsister Scorned pt2

_**Wrath of a Nightsister Scorned**_

Part 2 of 2

Any sort of drama between the two former Nightsisters was short-lived if not dissolved after they set foot on Florrum. Greeted promptly and insistently escorted by a few of Hondo's men as soon as they left the Autumn Reverence, Nyssa held a vice-grip on Scarlyn's hand the entire time. If things went South, there was no way she would let them get separated again. Fortunately, Hondo's intentions were less nefarious and more sociable than she expected.

Hondo was exactly where Scarlyn expected him to be. Sitting at the bar with a small collection of empty glasses, he was getting happier and wilder with every sip. Scarlyn took a seat at the bar next to him while Nyssa preferred to remain standing beside her. The Weequay pirate lord howled at Scarlyn. "Every time I see you, you're even more irresistible! How do you do that?"

There was a playful banter between Scarlyn and Hondo. He loved her teasing, but she made sure he wouldn't lay a finger on her. "I can't say the same for you," Scarlyn said with a smirk.

"You know, when we first met you were just a child," Hondo nearly drooled onto Scarlyn's thighs as he leaned towards her grinning. "Now you're a woman… with womanly needs." Nyssa growled, but it was subtle enough for him not to notice amidst the ambience of the cantina. Scarlyn's grasp in her hand was enough for the moment to restrain her.

Scarlyn leaned forward as well, almost close enough to kiss Hondo and smiled mischievously. "You're right; I am a woman with womanly needs… and now you're an old man with elderly needs. Would you like me to get you a bed pan?" She almost kissed him, but then leaned back quickly and gave him a forceful finger flick to the nose. It wasn't much, but it was enough to set the buzzed pirate off-balance and he fell backwards off of his barstool.

Nyssa smiled gleefully, enjoying the chance to watch Scarlyn play her game. Her smile quickly vanished though when she realized that the entire bar froze. No one was talking, the music stopped playing, and several of the bar's patrons suddenly had an itchy grip on their holstered blasters. She eyed up the exits and which of the people would probably be the real fighters. Scarlyn though, was eerily calm.

After a moment of disorientation, Hondo burst into laughter from his spot on the floor. "Ha ha! You haven't changed a bit!" With his positive response, the entire cantina immediately turned back to loud tunes, potent drinks and good times. Hondo crawled back onto his barstool with a gleeful grin and made no efforts to hide his staring at Scarlyn's body. "You know, I could still get the drop on you if I wanted to."

Scarlyn rested her hand on his cheek with a sincere smile. "I'm sure you could. Do you think we can be done posturing now and talk business?"

Hondo picked up his drink and flipped it upside down to confirm that it was indeed finished. To Nyssa's surprise, it was like he flipped a switch and was instantly sober. He waved over the bartender to take his collection of glasses and turned to Scarlyn with a more authoritative presence. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" He shot Nyssa a look that made her fur stand on end in a very unsettling way.

"Nope," Scarlyn replied tactfully. "Let's talk about why you insisted that I meet with you instead."

"Straight to business then," Hondo grinned and winked at Scarlyn. "Well, first things first, what brings you to Florrum?"

"Why do you ask?" Scarlyn was well-versed in dealing with Hondo. She wouldn't give him any information unintentionally.

"Heh, so it's going to be like that, eh?" Hondo leaned back into a more comfortable posture. "I have some… errands that need ran and I think your skills make you perfect for the tasks at hand."

"We're not here looking for work, Hondo," Scarlyn stood up from her stool to let him know that she wasn't going to negotiate.

"Then, what are you looking for?" Hondo grinned. They couldn't leave with their lives unless he allowed it, so he pressed his advantage.

Scarlyn rolled her eyes and then leaned in close to him. "We're not looking for anything but peace and quiet. We need to lay low for a while and I was under the impression that you and I were still on good terms," she spoke adamantly with a soft yet hard tone.

Hondo met her icy gaze for a long moment, and then leaned back with a chuckle. "You won't give an inch before you take a mile!" He smiled.

"I had a good teacher," Scarlyn smiled a little as she also leaned back. "We might be in the area for a while though. So, I'll hear you out on what errands need ran."

* * *

Nineteen days later, Scarlyn and Nyssa were racing through one of Florrum's many desolate flatlands on 'commandeered' BARC speederbikes. Scarlyn rode the red line of the bike's limits like an addictive drug. She loved speed and her competitive nature turned every outing with Nyssa into a race. Nyssa could hold her own though and enjoyed the challenges that Scarlyn would spring on her. Any victory that she'd score in a competition that Scarlyn had started served as excellent ammunition for teasing later.

The sun was caressing the horizon, bringing the entire world into a golden twilight as the two former Nightsisters raced across the flatlands. Returning from a simple hit and run 'errand' for Hondo, they were both eager to get back to the Autumn Reverence. It had become their home and was better to them than any lodging Hondo could offer. They never took a single day together for granted and the ship was where they could be sequestered away from all of the worlds in the galaxy.

During that particular race through Florrum's flatlands, Nyssa was winning by a significant margin. Scarlyn was doing everything she could to catch up, but she took a single turn too wide and Nyssa was skilled enough on speederbikes that it was a fatal racing error. It was going to be an awesome night of teasing, but Nyssa started slowing down suddenly. Caring more about the race than curiosity, Scarlyn rocketed ahead of her Cathar lover. When she looked back to see Nyssa slowing to a stop though, the race was clearly over. Slightly irritated, she turned around and went back to see what was causing Nyssa to stop.

Scarlyn shouted as she got within hearing range. "What happened? Please don't tell me you're giving me a mercy win. You know how I hate that." Nyssa didn't reply. Her amber, feline eyes were fixed on the horizon to her right, opposite the setting sun. Scarlyn slowed to a stop alongside Nyssa. "Hey, what's going on?"

"There's something out there," Nyssa replied without taking her eyes off of the horizon.

Scarlyn looked out with her silver, Dathomiri eyes and spotted a small, metallic black orb skimming across the ground towards them. The two former Nightsisters simply watched it in silence for a moment. As it came in to range though, Scarlyn recognized it. "Oh, it's just a tracker droid. Those things buzz around here every now and then," Scarlyn shrugged it off and started up her speederbike again.

Nyssa kept her eyes on it as it came closer. "A tracker droid?"

"There's always someone with a bounty on their head here, but good trackers like me are harder to come by. So, these droids do the dirty work for lazy or incompetent bounty hunters," Scarlyn elaborated. "Takes all of the fun out of it if you ask me. Tracking a bounty gives you a very good idea of what sort of person you are hunting – more knowledge to take into the fight."

By the time Scarlyn had explained, the tracker droid had made its approach and was slowing down to intercept them. It came within a couple meters of Scarlyn and made a few droid language noises. After an awkward moment, it made a negative sound like a buzz and turned to scan Nyssa. "Well, I guess I am no one special today," Scarlyn shrugged.

"You're always special to me," Nyssa smiled and took Scarlyn's hand. The droid should have been through with its scan of Nyssa, but it was taking a lot longer on her than it did on Scarlyn.

When Nyssa spoke to Scarlyn, a green indicator light lit up on the droid and it started making different sounds than before. "Facial and voice recognition confirmed. Nyssa Arachna = found," the droid spoke.

"I wonder who's looking for you," Scarlyn commented as she looked a bit more closely at the droid.

"Relaying message," the droid spoke again. It dropped to the dusty ground like a rock and the top of it opened up like a metal flower blooming. When the droid was done deploying its secondary function initiatives, a life-size holoform of Conradin Hadranus appeared from the droid before them.

"Conrad! I was beginning to worry. It is so good to see you," Nyssa smiled excitedly.

Conradin simply stood there for a moment, not looking at them or making any gestures. He then spoke some odd phrases. "Scrambler six – Sub Protocol two – Cipher delta."

Scarlyn cocked an eyebrow. "Umm, sprechen sie common tongue?"

After another awkward moment of silence, Conradin's holoform spoke again. "Network secure – relaying message: Kashyyyk – four days – blockade – good luck."

"It must be a recording," Nyssa surmised.

"Self-destruct sequence initiated," the holoform spoke again.

"Oh, poodoo!" Scarlyn hissed. With no time to do anything but act, Scarlyn grabbed Nyssa. She pulled Nyssa over onto her speederbike and hit the thrusters. They escaped the blast of the exploding droid by seconds.

"I could have gotten away in time on my own bike, you know," Nyssa said playfully with her arms wrapped around Scarlyn.

"Is that Conradin's usual way of contacting you!?" Scarlyn barked back more guarded than upset.

"No," Nyssa sighed. "He must be in a really tight spot."

"Well, I think the message was clear enough," Scarlyn smiled. "He came through for us. Grievous will be joining a Separatist blockade over Kashyyyk in four days."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Nyssa tightened her grip around Scarlyn's waist.

"Grievous, prepare to meet your end," Scarlyn stared ahead with a determined grin. She ignited the thrusters again on their then shared speederbike and they rocketed back towards the Autumn Reverence.

* * *

Sure enough, the information provided by Conradin was accurate. Scarlyn and Nyssa exited hyperspace to the imposing sight of a Separatist blockade over Kashyyyk. The sheer amount of banking clan frigates, supply ships, lucrehulk command ships and providence cruisers was overwhelming. Dozens of landing craft were ferrying mechanized troops to the planet's surface. Neither Scarlyn nor Nyssa had ever seen the Clone Wars that close and on that scale.

They weren't bold about their approach; they were smart. Coming up behind the blockade from the far side of the planet, they remained undetected. They wouldn't be for long though. Rather than fly directly at the blockade and hope for the best, they headed for the smallest and uninhabited of Kashyyyk's three moons. Nyssa landed the Autumn Reverence softly on the moon at a good vantage point to analyze the Separatist blockade. She leaned back in the pilot's seat and took a deep sigh. "So, any idea which ship he's in?"

"None of them," Scarlyn mumbled as she sat back in the copilot's seat.

"What do you mean?" Nyssa turned questioningly. "Do you think he's on the planet surface?"

"He's not here," Scarlyn growled. "Grievous has been flying around the galaxy lately on a modified providence cruiser called the Invisible Hand. It isn't part of the blockade."

"So, what now?" Nyssa asked as she shared Scarlyn's disappointment.

"Now, we wait," Scarlyn said very confidently. "The droids are still being transported to the surface. This invasion can't have been going on for even a full day yet. Once the ships get into stationary blockade formation, Grievous should join the fleet. It looks like they are leaving a spot open for him."

"Well, then it looks like we are going to have to be patient once again," Nyssa smiled. "I'm sure we can manage."

* * *

Nearly three days later, Scarlyn and Nyssa were sleeping in the small, but very cozy captain's quarters of the Autumn Reverence. They were both startled awake by what felt like a earthquake! The ship rumbled violently, throwing them to the floor several times as they scrambled to the cockpit. "Are we under attack?!" Scarlyn shouted as they raced through the ship.

"I don't think so!" Nyssa shouted back. She got to the cockpit and looked out to see far more than a Separatist blockade. It was a raging space battle! The Galactic Army of the Republic was assaulting the Separatist blockade over Kashyyyk. Debris from destroyed ships on both sides of the battle were spreading in all directions. Some of that debris was getting caught in the moon's gravitational pull. The Autumn Reverence was suddenly a sitting duck as massive chunks of debris slammed into the moon's surface uncomfortably close by.

Scarlyn fired up the ship's engines as Nyssa went ahead and started calculating their jump to hyperspace. "We have to get out of here now!" Nyssa said with a panicked voice. She was right, and Scarlyn started piloting the ship away from the moon. Mere seconds before they made their jump though, Scarlyn slammed forward on the all-stop throttle. "Lyn, what are you doing!?"

"Grievous is up there," Scarlyn said with an eerily calm and focused voice. Her eyes were fixed on a providence class cruiser, The Invisible Hand. It was sitting back, away from the primary engagement, but there was no telling how long Grievous would maintain command before retreating. The amount of ships firing at each other was baffling. So many ships were firing at each other from different vantage points that there was no clear line of skirmish. The likelihood of friendly fire was very high.

The two former Nightsisters looked at each other. Nyssa's face was covered in an expression of concern, but also determination. She spoke softly. "We may never get another chance at this."

"We may die just trying to get through that cluster-muck of a battle," Scarlyn said with an equally serious tone.

"Dying is a possibility no matter what anyone chooses to do at any time and anywhere," Nyssa smiled gently, putting all of her faith in Scarlyn and their cause. "We're Nightsisters; we have been prepared to die for each other since the moment we were born."

Scarlyn smiled gently and turned her gaze back to the raging space battle above. "Hell or victory, this ends today," her battle cry was softly spoken but more resolute than a star's determination to shine.

The Autumn Reverence's engines kicked into fill thrust. The orange and white gold ship's soft yellow thrusters left a shimmering trail as it rocketed into the fray and away from the small moon. Scarlyn's piloting was that of a savant's madness, akin to a Jedi's piloting skills. She narrowly dodged blasterfire and weaved through ship wreckage like a leaf in the wind. Nyssa had moved back through the ship and into the topside turret to blast apart any obstacles or stray droid fighters that may have noticed them. Her accuracy matched Scarlyn's piloting; nothing would stop them from reaching Grievous.

"It looks like no one is paying attention to a random freighter amidst all of this!" Scarlyn shouted back through the ship excitedly.

Nyssa shouted back. "Better than that, we have some friends out there! See that huge, green ship protecting the Separatist supply ships? That's the Emerald Sword, Conradin's ship!"

"Good to know," Scarlyn grinned. "I won't blow that hunk of junk to pieces with our mighty peashooter of a forward cannon then!" Nyssa just shook her head and kept blasting away from her turret. Scarlyn was a tinkerer and wanted to modify everything, but Nyssa liked the Autumn Reverence just the way it was. The ship was nimble and fast as it dodged and weaved through the space battle. Where it lacked in firepower and armor, it made up for and then some with maneuverability and speed.

When they were almost to the Invisible Hand, vulture droid starfighters started to cluster in pursuit. The Separatists must have figured out their intercept course. Nyssa had her work cut out for her. She jumped down from the topside turrent and ran over to the stern turret. Scarlyn's flying made it very difficult, but Nyssa managed to destroy all of the vulture droids before they could get a missile lock. "You have a window, but it won't last!" She shouted up to Scarlyn.

With precious seconds before more droids came to pursue them, Scarlyn did a half-barrel role and half loop, diving downward towards the stern of the Invisible Hand. With a little too much force, she slammed the freighter down onto the hull of the providence cruiser near the base of the observation tower.

Scarlyn and Nyssa wasted no time getting ready. They sealed the bottom airlock to the hull. Nyssa pulled out some fusion cutters and started slicing her way into the cruiser. Scarlyn gathered their weapons. She had her modified Nightsister bow, her daggers, throwing knives, and a vibrosword. Nyssa had a blaster, a few thermal detonators, and her twin Nightsister swords which she had let Scarlyn modify into vibroswords. Amidst her constant modifying and tinkering, Scarlyn made sure that their vibroblades were reinforced with a cortosis weave; General Grievous' lightsabers wouldn't be able to cut through their blades. As soon as Nyssa was done slicing through the hull, Scarlyn handed Nyssa her weapons and they jumped down into the Invisible Hand.

* * *

"What happened to that freighter?" Grievous asked angrily from the center of the command bridge.

A B1 battledroid with scuffed-up brown paint which was commanding the cruiser's forward batteries responded. "They no longer appear on our scopes, General."

"Impossible!" Grievous growled and coughed. "No ship that small has a cloaking device!"

"Sir," another droid spoke up. "There are reports coming in of two female humanoids infiltrating deck A-17. The freighter must've landed on our hull."

"Jedi!" Grievous barked. "Place the entire ship on high alert! Where are they headed!?"

"Towards the observation deck, General," the scuffed battledroid commander replied.

"Take command of the ship! I will execute these Jedi myself!" Grievous threw his black and red cloak to the floor and stormed away. The scuffed battledroid handed control of the ship to the tactical battledroid on deck and took a squad of droids to follow Grievous as backup.

* * *

Scarlyn and Nyssa were making their way to the command bridge when suddenly all of the blast doors ahead of them slammed shut, but not the ones behind them. "How long will it take for your fusion cutters to get through this?" Scarlyn asked anxiously.

"Longer than we have!" Nyssa answered as she turned and started firing at yet another squad of droids that came up behind them. Scarlyn threw a thermal detonator at the squad and took cover with Nyssa behind one of the corridor's inlets.

"Wait a second," Nyssa turned to Scarlyn. "They aren't trying to pin us in. They only closed the blast doors in one direction."

"Grievous must know we are here," Scarlyn said with a concerned but puzzled look.

"He's drawing us in one direction. Look," Nyssa pointed. "Those lifts at the other end of this corridor lead up to the observation deck. He's leading us to him!"

"It's most certainly a trap," Scarlyn furled her brow. The blast door that closed in front of them opened again, but not the other doors beyond it. The door opened to reveal seven droidekas which immediately opened fire! "And it looks like we are going to spring the trap! Run!"

Both of them sprinted while dodging and weaving down the corridor. It was nothing short of miraculous that they weren't shot before reaching the lifts. Their luck ran out though as their lift door was closing. One shot slipped through and went right through Scarlyn's left wrist. "Aghhh!" She grunted, trying to mask the amount of pain she was feeling.

"Scarlyn!" Nyssa cried out as she knelt down to assess the damage. The shot was through and through with all veins cauterized by the burn of the blaster shot, but Scarlyn's left hand was useless.

Nyssa ripped off a piece of her skirt and took off one of her belts, making a quick bandage. Scarlyn winced in pain. "My throwing hand is useless! Well, so much for using my bow or throwing knives."

"You're ambidextrous, Sweetie. You still have your daggers and vibrosword. We can finish this!" Nyssa was adamant that they would both live through this, but Scarlyn's confidence was waning.

"I'll distract him long enough for you to rip out his heart," Scarlyn smiled with a sorrowful tone.

"We will finish this together or not at all!" Nyssa tried so hard to sound strong, but tears were filling her amber, feline eyes. "I won't lose you again!"

"You're as stubborn as a Wookiee, you know that?" Scarlyn smirked with a wince of pain as Nyssa finished the field dressing on her wound. Nyssa just looked into Scarlyn's eyes with the utmost sincerity. "I love you."

"I love you too," Nyssa whimpered back. She helped Scarlyn to her feet and they both drew their weapons. Only seconds later, the lift door opened. There wasn't a squad of battledroids like they'd expected. The balcony was empty. So, they walked out of the lift and saw General Grievous waiting for them at the far end of the observation deck. Below the balcony entrance and across the vast room, Grievous stood with his back to them. The towering windows ahead of him were filled with views of the chaotic space battle.

A squad of B1 battledroids and two squads of commando droids, all led by the scuffed brown battledroid were strategically placed around the deck. Grievous waited a moment to let the gravity of Scarlyn's and Nyssa's situation sink in. He then slowly turned and spoke to them. "It was brave or foolish of you to fly through such a battle just to get to me Jed-" He stopped mid-sentence and his reptilian eyes went as wide as they could. "Ah ha ha ha ha! What are you two supposed to be!? On-flight entertainment?" Grievous laughed and coughed uncontrollably. He couldn't believe that two young women who weren't Jedi would go through so much trouble just to confront him.

"General Grievous!" Scarlyn barked as she pointed her vibrosword at him from the balcony overlooking the observation deck. "It is time for you to pay for your crimes against the Nightsisters!"

Nyssa drew her swords and joined Scarlyn, pointing her left blade at him with an equally accusatory tone. "A monstrosity such as yourself deserves nothing short of death! In the names of our fallen sisters and by the blessings of the magics, we will smite thee!"

Grievous let out another bone-chilling laugh. He was going to have fun slaughtering them slowly. "You will fall just like the rest of your pathetic race! When the galaxy is rid of the Jedi, I will rid the galaxy of you all!" He opened up his four arms and ignited all of his lightsabers. He wanted them to know that their doom was upon them.

Leaping over the balcony railing and rolling into sprints with the synchronization of a mirror's reflection, Nyssa and Scarlyn launched themselves at him regardless of any attempt of intimidation. Their will was more ironclad than that cybernetic freak could ever understand. The droids around the room simply stood their posts, waiting for orders from Grievous or their commander. Grievous growled with a battle cry as the former Nightsisters met his blades with their vibroswords.

Grievous thought that the duel would end in a matter of moves rather than minutes, but the women surprised him with their combative skill. Scarlyn was dueling as well as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Nyssa was reminding Grievous of Asajj Ventress. It was sort of fun to have met warriors who were so skilled without the unfair advantage of being Jedi, but the fun was brought to a grinding halt when Nyssa saw an opening and cut off one of his hands.

With a scream of frustration, Grievous was ready to end the ridiculous duel. He threw all of his three remaining blades down on Nyssa with such strength that holding her blades against them forced her to her knees. He used his free arm which was then missing a hand and slugged Scarlyn in the stomach. Scarlyn bellowed with an uncontrollable buckling in her knees. With that opening and while holding Nyssa down, he raised his leg and grabbed Scarlyn's head with his foot. A quick pivoting of a cybernetic limb and Scarlyn was thrown clear across the observation deck.

"Scarlyn!" Nyssa yelled as she rolled under General Grievous and tried to run to Scarlyn's aid. Grievous was in a bloodthirsty pursuit and wouldn't let Nyssa go. They kept clashing blades and Nyssa was quickly losing the duel. It was down to a matter of moves and countermoves again for Grievous. He started chuckling as he saw the end of the fight drawing near.

Slamming into the far wall had knocked Scarlyn out for a brief moment, but she was quick to bounce back from such assaults. She opened her eyes just in time to see Grievous knock Nyssa's blades out of her hands. After disengaging two of his blades, he grabbed her wrists, and with a third arm prepared to skewer the Cathar. Nyssa squirmed and kicked, trying to break Grievous' grip, but to no avail. "First you, and then your pale whore!" Grievous spoke slow and assertively as he stared menacingly into Nyssa's eyes. If he had a mouth, it would've been a bloodthirsty grin.

Grievous' choice to draw out Nyssa's death by stroking his own ego with a villainous monologue was his undoing. It bought Scarlyn just enough time to close the distance between her and them. She launched into the air and struck Grievous with a roundhouse flaming kick to the head. Being so close to losing Nyssa brought forth the most primal Nightsister instincts in Scarlyn. A ball of fire ignited furiously around her foot as she kicked and went straight for Grievous' face.

The cybernetic monster dropped Nyssa and recoiled in pain with a yell. The fire had blinded his left eye and scorched his faceplate. It was time to end the fight once and for all! Grievous was mad with rage, but before anything else, he was an incredibly skilled warrior. With a bafflingly fast recovery from the shock of his injury, he turned to Scarlyn just as she landed back to the floor from kicking him. With one hand he grabbed her arm to hold her still and he slammed his foot down on her right ankle. "GAHHHHH!" Scarlyn screeched in pain as her bones broke under the pressure of Grievous' foot.

All Nyssa could hear were Scarlyn's cries. There was no more monologuing, no more intimidation or scare tactics. Grievous was finishing the fight. Her eyes filled with tears, but her focus was the pinnacle of resolve as she glared at Grievous. "Get… away… from HER!" Nyssa roared as red lighting burst forth from her fingertips. The lightning hit Grievous' body like a ramming reek and he rolled away, spasming uncontrollably.

Scarlyn looked up at Nyssa who was then standing over Scarlyn's body in a purely defensive stance. "How… what just happened?" Scarlyn asked while trying to get a grip on the pain in her leg.

"I don't know," Nyssa looked at her hands in amazement. She had no idea she was capable of such power. True, she was blessed by the Nightsister magics when she came of age and completed her trials, but she was never trained.

"KILL THEM!" Grievous barked at the droids that surrounded the room. With Scarlyn injured and Nyssa disarmed, they were easy targets. A few of the droid commandos fired off a few shots before Grievous was even done saying the order. One of the shots ripped through Nyssa's right shoulder. Another passed through her right thigh and she fell to the floor next to Scarlyn. The two women looked into each other's eyes… one last time.

Scarlyn managed a slight smile despite her tears and whispered. "I love you." Before Nyssa could reply or any more droids could fire their volley, the scuffed brown droid commander detonated a trigger in its left hand. Localized EMP mines detonated near every droid in the observation deck. All of them, including the droid commander, fell lifeless!

Grievous roared in pure rage as he tried to move, but the red lightning from Nyssa had fried every circuit in his cybernetic body. He was a prisoner within himself. Though they didn't understand what had happened to the droids, Nyssa and Scarlyn recognized their moment of opportunity. Scarlyn held on to Nyssa's good shoulder and they both hobbled over to the powerless General Grievous. All he could do was glare at them. He snarled and growled in his native tongue, a language neither of the women understood, but they didn't care.

Scarlyn knelt down over Grievous' body and looked him square in the eyes. She grabbed his faceplate and angled it to face her directly. "Look into my eyes, you filth! Look into my eyes and know that your death came at our hands!" Scarlyn hissed at the fallen warrior.

In that moment, fear struck Grievous. There was no last-minute escape or reinforcements to be called. His droids betrayed him and the rest of the fleet didn't even know he had intruders on his ship. His reptilian eyes went wide as he could do nothing but watch the scene play out. Grievous was a coward, but had too much pride to beg for his life. Nyssa retrieved one of her vibroswords and got into position on the other side of Grievous, opposite Scarlyn.

"For my Mother!" Scarlyn spoke forcefully.

"For our sisters!" Nyssa added to the declaration of vengeance.

Scarlyn took her dagger, the same dagger that ended her mother's life, and plunged it into Grievous' right eye. At that same moment, Nyssa plunged her vibrosword down between Grievous' chest plated armor and into his few remaining organs. General Grievous made a brief, involuntary roar and was immediately silenced.

The general was dead.

They stayed there with their grips on their weapons for a long moment. It was surreal; Grievous was dead and they were both still alive. Neither of them could get a complete grip on what they had accomplished. A few sparks and droid sounds from behind them finally snapped them back to focus. The scuffed brown droid commander had somehow rebooted from the EMP mines and was recovering from the shock. Nyssa and Scarlyn were ready for an explanation. The disarming of the droids was the deciding factor in their battle. They helped each other up and walked over to the droid that was attempting to stand.

"Why did you help us?" Nyssa asked as they approached the droid cautiously.

"I was following my orders," the battledroid replied. "That electric attack was most impressive, Miss Arachna. I'm surprised you didn't open with that salvo."

Scarlyn squinted with curiosity. "Last I checked, droids don't normally talk like that."

"Wait a second," Nyssa reached forward and rubbed at the droid's torso. The scuffed brown paint chipped away to reveal a deep red and black paint job. "Oh my… VGR?"

"It is good to see you again, Miss Arachna," the droid nodded. "It is also a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Scarlyn Sturm. VGR-001 at your service."

"Umm, likewise," Scarlyn replied with a confused look.

"Lyn, this is Conradin's second in command, his highest droid officer," Nyssa smiled gleefully. "Also, he's a bit… different, from other droids."

The droid stood at attention and explained. "I was under strict orders by the Emerald General to infiltrate the ranks of the Invisible Hand's crew and aid in your fight. I was only to help you if it was absolutely certain that you'd lose without my assistance. Now, I must fulfill my final objective before I can return to the Emerald Sword." VGR stepped forward and handcuffed the two women together.

"Hey!" Scarlyn immediately tried to punch VGR, but she put her weight on the wrong foot and nearly fell to the floor in pain.

VGR-001 explained. "My secondary objective is to escort you back through the ship as my prisoners. This way, you will return to the Autumn Reverence safely without further incident. To the droid crew of this ship, I am still the ranking officer. I cannot help you fly out of the ongoing battle, so that will be up to you."

"Thank you, VGR," Nyssa smiled as she helped Scarlyn regain her footing.

"Yeah… thanks," Scarlyn mumbled.

"No need," VGR nodded. "I am only following General Hadranus' orders."

* * *

Five Weeks Later – Corellian Run Hyperspace Lane

Scarlyn and Nyssa rested in the living area of the Autumn Reverence as its navi computer auto-piloted their way to Ryloth for a small vacation – a much needed one. Nyssa sat on a barstool with Scarlyn's left foot on her lap. Scarlyn was stretched out on the couch, scoffing and whimpering excessively. Her grimaces were clearly over-the-top as Nyssa replaced Scarlyn's bandages. Playfully, Nyssa pulled at the final bandage, tightening it a little too much. "Ow!" Scarlyn exclaimed with surprise.

"Do you seriously think I'm going to fall for your act?" Nyssa smirked. "I've seen you endure far worse. You're just looking for more attention."

"But… it hurts," Scarlyn pouted while trying to make her silver eyes look as big and sad as possible.

"Nuh uh, you can't pull the sad kitty eyes on me. I've got the market cornered on that one," Nyssa smiled. The two former Nightsisters didn't have nearly enough bacta for their wounds that they suffered in their fight with Grievous. They had to take the long and hard road to recovery. Neither of them minded, being very proud of what they'd accomplished. They saw their wounds as superficial at best considering it was a miracle that they both walked away from that fight with their lives and no wounds that wouldn't fully heal.

They also enjoyed taking care of each other. The intimacy and trust aside, it also brought a pleasant air of nostalgia since they both learned Nightsister healing practices together when they were younger. Scarlyn's mother, Kiva, taught them everything she knew.

Before their banter could continue any further, they turned their attention to the holonet news broadcasts that they had playing softly on the dejarik table. The name "Grievous" was mentioned, and they'd been keeping track of news surrounding his death. The reporter sounded a bit sad, but she was trying to keep a pleasant tone. "There is still no word on who the Confederacy of Independent Systems has promoted to take the place of the late General Grievous who died five weeks ago over the battle of Kashyyyk. Someone has certainly been given the title of Supreme Commander of the Droid Army, but the Separatist government is yet to release any other details. How exactly the infamous general died is still under investigation. Coming up next: Among many controversial changes that have been enacted of late, there is now talk of recruited soldiers fighting on the front lines for the Separatists! Will the Separatist's replacement of droids with recruited soldiers tip the balance in their favor, or will the changeover present the opportunity the Republic has been looking for to end this war?"

Nyssa turned off the holonet and turned back to Scarlyn. "I told you they'd replace him."

"Yeah, you did," Scarlyn sighed a little.

"Did you really believe that what we did would end the war?" Nyssa looked at Scarlyn with a small smile of amusement.

Scarlyn shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I did. Well, I didn't want to make a difference so much as I wanted to cause some trouble for that stupid war."

"There is one difference that I'm very happy about," Nyssa got up from her stool and slid onto the couch beside Scarlyn.

"Grievous is dead," Scarlyn nodded.

"No," Nyssa smiled reassuringly as she pulled Scarlyn's face to face hers. "No more nightmares." Scarlyn smiled as a tear of joy welled up in her eye.

"I love you," Scarlyn whispered as she leaned forward and kissed her beloved tenderly. Nyssa purred into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around her Dathomiri lover. After years apart and so many struggles, Scarlyn and Nyssa were finally free.


End file.
